Applebee’s Fires Three Employees After Racial Profiling Allegation
Three Applebee’s employees were accused of racially profiling two African-American diners at a Missouri mall after a video of the incident went viral on Facebook last week.
Asia Hardy and Alexis Brison were eating dinner at Applebee’s at the Independence Center mall in Independence, Missouri when they were interrupted by a police manager, mall cop, and restaurant an hour into their meal. Hardy and Brison were accused of dining and dashing the day before.
In the video shared by Brison, an Applebee’s employee can be heard positively identifying the two women. However, according to Brison’s post, Brison called the restaurant after she left, and the employees were unable to provide distinguishing characteristics of the thieves. According to the manager, the employee said that the thief was a “skinny girl and a girl who wore makeup.”
Brison shared a video of the event on Facebook, which has been viewed over 3 million times.
Throughout the video, Hardy and Brison continuously tell the officer and staff that they were not at the restaurant during the dine-and-dash. “We have not been here. We have not been here. We have not been here. I’m a student. I live on campus. I have not been here, like, I’ve been on duty at Rockhurst University,” Hardy said. As the incident goes on, Hardy becomes increasingly upset.
When the officer tells the women that the restaurant manager decided that they want Hardy and Brison to pay for their food, leave, and not to return, the women agree, but they are still upset. “We have not been here. Oh my God! We have not been here!” Hardy says again.
The officer then asks, “Is she normally this emotional? Wow. Does she normally talk like this?”
According to Independence Police, they have not received a police report regarding the incident in the video or the dine-and-dash incident the day before.
The employees involved have been terminated for their involvement in the racial profiling, and the restaurant in Independence has been closed. “The franchisee terminated the manager, server and another employee involved in the incident,” an Applebee’s spokesperson wrote in an email to Mic. “We do not tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment of any nature, and we have taken additional steps to close the restaurant at this time in order for the team there to regroup, reflect, learn and grow from this.”
Applebee’s also issued a statement on their Facebook page. “We recognize the hurt and pain caused by the recent incident at an Applebee’s restaurant in Independence, Mo.,” the statement reads. “We are reaching out to the guests involved to apologize directly. We know rebuilding trust with those affected by the incident will take time, and we look forward to finding resolution in the coming days.”
